


Six Months

by kitchournas



Series: Translator AU [3]
Category: SKAM (Italy)
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Office, Anniversary, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, Mentions of Blood, POV Nico, see notes for more precisions on that, translator AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-24
Updated: 2019-03-24
Packaged: 2019-11-23 20:07:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,084
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18156455
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitchournas/pseuds/kitchournas
Summary: It's been six months since Nico kissed a certain redhead translator outside a Japanese restaurant and he's got plans to celebrate it properly. That is if Martino manages to survive a day of medical translation.A bonus scene forDo you Feel a Comma in your Heart?





	Six Months

**Author's Note:**

> Regarding the mentions of blood tag, Marti is working on a video that features a photo of somebody being operated on which grosses him out, it's only mentioned, not described.

As Niccolò approaches the door to Martino and Elia’s office, or only Martino’s for the two weeks during which Elia and Matteo are petting alpacas or whatever it is they're doing in Peru, the relative silence of a studious morning is suddenly broken.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake!”

Surprised that such vehemence could be warranted before 10 on a pretty quiet Wednesday morning, he peeks inside to find Martino with his head in his hands and heaving a deep sigh. His subtitling software is open on one screen, a glossary on the other, so there’s no doubt as to the cause of his frustration. The scene before him looks so pathetic that he can’t help it, he laughs. The sound at least draws Martino out of his trance and when he sees Niccolò standing in the doorway, the lines on his face smooth out.

“Hi to you too,” Nico greets him.

“Hey.”

“Are you so vocal about whatever this is just because Elia is not here?”

“If he was here, I’d make sure he suffered too, so if he’s not, I have to express myself, Ni,” Martino retorts, like it’s the most logical thing in the world.

“That’s fair.”

Nico leans down to kiss him hello.

“You’re here late. Everything okay?”

One thing Niccolò has learned in the past six months, is that Martino worries. Most of the time he finds it pretty sweet, even though it can verge on annoying sometimes, when his patience with himself or whatever is weighing on his mind starts to wear thin. But he knows it comes purely from a place of caring and that Martino means well. Having spent years living with a depressed mother, he tends to look for the signs. And if sometimes he sees signs where there aren’t any, well, at least he’s trying. It’s more than can be said for some of Nico’s past relationships.

“Yeah, I’m just staying a little later tonight, we’re expecting an urgent file from one of the freelance translators, and it needs to be proofed and delivered immediately,” Niccolò replies, taking up his usual post, leaning against the wall right by the desk.

“Oh, so you don’t know when you’ll be done.”

Martino sounds disappointed, and he finds it extremely endearing.

“No, but it won’t be later than 7, I promise.”

“Really? Great!” Martino immediately perks up. “That’s good, ‘cause I was thinking we could something tonight?” He continues, and there’s definitely a questioning lilt to his voice, like he’s not quite sure Niccolò will be interested in doing something today of all day. Like he possibly wouldn’t want to celebrate that six months have passed since that Monday in March when he was still mulling over what he thought had been a gentle, albeit clumsy, letdown only to find out that Martino had not been aware he had been asked out.

“I was hoping you’d say that,” Nico replies.

Martino gets that smile, the one that Niccolò loves the most, that lights up his entire face and makes him look younger and like he doesn’t have a care in the world.

“Actually,” he continues, trying not to let himself drown in that smile, because they’re at work and there are other people working behind the very thin walls of the office, “I had a little something for you.”

“But… but I didn’t get you anything.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

He takes out the gift and puts it down on the desk, just like he did six months and three days ago, except he’s not overcome by nerves this time and there are no best friends staring at him in barely-concealed curiosity. Martino glances at the thin package that is very clearly book-shaped and when he looks back up, his expression has turned to something halfway between amused and wary.

“Oh no, what have you done now?”

“Come on, it’s traditional.”

“Once does not make it tradition.”

“Well, now it’s twice. Come on, Marti, where’s your sense of romance?”

“I don’t usually bring it with me to the office.”

“That explains a lot,” he’s laughing again, he can’t help himself, it’s a thing that’s been happening a lot for the past six months. Maybe even a little more than that, give or take four weeks.

“What the hell does that mean?”

Martino’s half-offended look is certainly not helping him remain serious.

“Just that if you did, maybe it wouldn’t have taken you four entire weeks to notice I was trying to hit on you.”

“Maybe you weren’t being as obvious as you thought you were,” Marti grumbles, fidgeting with his headset.

“Really? Then, why did almost everybody else come to talk to me about it?”

Martino is still not looking at him but there's a hint of a scowl on his face now. Niccolò is suddenly wondering if maybe he shouldn’t have joked about it. He steps closer to lean against the desk carefully to avoid knocking out anything that’s on it.

“I’m kidding, you know. I don’t mind.”

He finally looks up, but now Nico can see that his expression looks a lot like embarrassment, and that was certainly not what he was going for.

“I kinda knew, but I wasn’t sure. And I guess, I didn’t want to get my hopes up too much, because… You know.”

Niccolò takes his hand that is still fidgeting with the headset and doesn’t encounter any resistance at least. Martino has not talked about Gianluca much, but just enough for Nico to understand that it’s not always easy to get back on the saddle after a bad experience.

“I know. I’m sorry for teasing.”

That, at least, seems to bring back a small smile to Martino’s face who, almost visibly, shakes any negative thoughts from his mind before turning back to Nico.

“You? Sorry for teasing? That’s new.”

“I know. It’s just for today because it’s special, so enjoy it while it lasts. And you still haven’t opened it.” He points at the package on the desk.

“Is it another kids’ book?” Martino asks as he picks up the package delicately and examines from every angle, as if he could somehow see through the paper.

“I’m not telling you.”

He finally tears the paper away to reveal a thin, colorful paperback, volume 2 of the “Life-Saving Guide to Grammar and Punctuation”, but aimed at children 12-15 this time. Martino looks up with a glare that is barely trying to be convincing.

“Very funny. I see that I moved up in age, does that mean I’m getting better?”

“You’re doing very well,” he replies, ruffling Martino’s hair, who swats his hand away.

“I should have let you stew for more than four weeks, you idiot.”

“Come on, open it,” Nico presses.

“Oh, wasn’t that just the joke?”

“Haven’t you learned anything? It took you an entire weekend to figure it out last time, I’m not waiting three days again.”

“Actually, it didn’t take me that long, but if you were on Facebook like everybody else, you wouldn’t have had to wait,” Martino retorts while conscientiously flipping through the book, for fear of missing something. He finally finds the two tickets, tucked in the section on punctuation because no matter what Martino says, Niccolò likes his traditions, and as he reads them, his eyes widen and his mouth falls open.

“Nico… That’s not a little something.”

He stands up from his chair and looks back at the two return tickets to Siena for the next weekend as if he’s not sure he’s read them correctly before stepping closer to Niccolò, who pushes himself off the desk just in time to get an armful of redhead translator.

“That’s amazing, thank you.”

Niccolò has to swallow past the lump in his throat as Martino wraps his arm around his neck and plants a kiss on his cheek. Maybe the waiting and the teasing were worth it for that reaction. When Martino moves away to sit back down, Nico can still feel the love that’s been radiating through his chest for almost six months and only manages a “You’re welcome” he’s not even sure Martino hears, deep in contemplation of the tickets as he is.

“It’s really not that much.”

“Are you kidding, of course it is. I’m just gonna have to cancel on Gio. I was supposed to go to a concert with him on Saturday.”

Niccolò makes a note that he will owe Gio an apology for ever doubting that the concert excuse would be enough to ensure Martino didn't make any other plans. He should have realized that Giovanni knew what he was talking about.

“Unfortunately, I’m afraid those plans are going to fall through sometime today when Gio suddenly remembers he and Eva are doing… something or other. How sad, and yet convenient.”

“He was in on it? I knew he had never actually mentioned that band before. I would have remembered. But I feel so bad that I didn’t get you anything. I was just… I made reservations at the Japanese restaurant we went to that first time.”

He looks almost sheepish at the admission, and if Niccolò thought he couldn’t love him more, he was clearly wrong because the idea that Martino also wanted to remember that day, their first date and their first kiss, makes his heart seemingly grow three sizes.

“No, that’s great. I’m glad you did. It was one of the best nights of my life.”

“Mine, too.”

“Is that why you were asking if I was staying late? Are you sure that’s not going to be a problem?”

“No, no, don’t worry. I’ll wait here with you,” Martino assures him.

“You don’t have to…”

“Come on, I don’t mind waiting. And think about it, if I leave later tonight, I can also come in later tomorrow morning.”

He has that slightly wicked glint in his eyes that Nico can never resist so he leans down to give him just a quick kiss.

“I should probably get to my desk. Look at that, the day’s barely started and you’re already distracting me.”

Martino doesn’t look too guilty about it but as he turns back around to his screen, he groans.

“Ah, shit, I forgot about that.”

“What? Oh, is that why you were swearing when I came in?”

He turns to the screen as well to find a standard old professor talking in front of a PowerPoint which shows a picture of an incision on somebody's chest, giving them a full view of the organs inside.

“Oooh, what’s happening here?"

“I don’t know and I don’t wanna know.”

Martino’s head is back into his hands.

“Is that what’s bothering you? It’s not that bad.”

“Not that bad? He switched slides and suddenly there was blood and organs everywhere, and I was not prepared.”

Nico looks closer and makes an appreciative noise.

“And they sent the video in HD, too.”

“Yeah, I noticed.”

Niccolò is looking at him fondly when he realizes something.

“Are you afraid of blood? Is that why it’s bothering you? ‘Cause you can probably get somebody else to do it.”

That finally gets Martino to look up, still carefully averting his eyes from the screen.

“I’m not afraid. I just didn’t need to see a close-up of somebody's lungs or something so early in the morning.”

“It’s not a big deal if you’re afraid.”

“I’m not, I swear. I don’t mind if somebody’s bleeding a little or something but when the stuff that should be inside isn’t... that grosses me out.”

“I guess they make these for people who are used to that kind of sight.”

"Even so, he didn't need that photo to make his point clear. I understood what he was explaining without it."

"Did you?" Niccolò teases, because it’s just too tempting and he will never be able to keep his promise.

"Yeah. Mostly. Kind of."

“Well, I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to leave you with this or Sana’s going to send out a search party.”

“Okay. It’s not like I have a choice either way. I promised Eva I’d get this done today.”

“Good luck with that. Remember we’ve got great sushi waiting for us tonight.”

“Ugh, don’t talk to me about food right now.”

Niccolò leans down for a last kiss before heading out.

“And happy anniversary, Marti. I love you.”

The puckered look on Martino’s face disappears just long enough to reply.

“Love you, too.”

It comes back immediately after that, but Nico will take it.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thanks to [Colette](http://colettefemmedeletre.wordpress.com/) for indulging my weird-ass questions.


End file.
